


Secrets and Nightmares

by Jennie0726



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Accurate Lore, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Case Fic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotionally Hurt Dean Winchester, Emotionally Hurt Sam Winchester, Gen, Past Violence, Post-Hell Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester Has a Fear of Clowns, Sam Winchester on Demon Blood, Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24936823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jennie0726/pseuds/Jennie0726
Summary: Sam and Dean work a case while keeping secrets from one another. Will they be able to overcome their suspicions and be able to work together?
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The lore in this story is accurate except for how the creature dies. The town, restaurants, and motel are real.
> 
> This is only my third story and the first time I've tried to write angst. Dang, is it hard!
> 
> Enjoy!

Heat. Pain. Screaming. The sound of a whip whistling through the air and then pain explodes as shards of glass rip through my body, peeling off strips of flesh and muscle. I can taste the copper as I’m choking on my own blood. I can feel the screams as they rip out of my throat. And I can hear Alistair whispering in my ear, “Come on, Dean. You can make it all stop. Just take my place in torturing souls and you don’t have to go through anymore pain.” “Never!” I say, with less conviction this time than before. “Never is a very long time, Dean. I don’t think you’re righteous enough to hold out,” Alistair taunts. The whip whistles. My body jerks. 

Dean hits the floor with a thud. His eyes fly open and he sees Bobby’s living room, not the fires of hell. He’s tangled in his blankets and covered in sweat. He hears feet headed his way.

“Dean, you okay? I heard you cry out and then a thud.”

“Yeah, just a nightmare, Sammy. I’m fine. Go on back to bed.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“I don’t even remember what it was now. Probably spiders. What time is it?”

“Almost 6:00. Think you’ll be able to go back to sleep?”

“Probably not. I think I’ll go give Baby a tune-up.”

Sam watches as Dean drinks most of a pot of coffee before he heads out to work on the car. He knows that there is more to Dean’s nightmare than he’s letting on. Sam has also noticed the odd looks that Dean has been giving him. He has his own secrets to keep so he’s not going to push Dean to reveal his. The best thing he can do is find a case for them to work to keep Dean occupied.

As Dean works on the Impala, he tries hard to keep his mind off of his nightmare. He focuses on what Castiel said about stopping Sam or the angels would. What was he talking about? Was it Sam using his psychic powers? God knows, Dean didn’t want him using those powers. Who knew what tapping into the demon blood on a regular basis would do to Sam. They don’t talk much about the innocents that have died at their hands in their fight with the demons. Dean understands Sam wanting to find a way to change that but not at the possible cost to Sam. Even so, there’s more going on than Sam is talking about. Dean knows he has to find out what before the angels intervene.

“Sam, what are ya doin’ up so early?” Bobby asks as he shuffles into the kitchen following the smell of the coffee that woke him up.

“Dean had another nightmare. Him hitting the floor woke me up. He won’t talk about it.”

“Where is he?”

“He’s out tinkering around with the car. I want to help him, Bobby, but he is always trying to protect me from everything.”

“Boy, he’s been doing that since you were knee-high to a grasshopper. Can’t expect that to change now.”

“I’m not a little kid anymore, Bobby. Dean has got to start treating me like an adult.”

“Yeah, well, you both need to stop being a couple of idjits and start communicating with each other. Heck, you’re both keeping things from each other, acting like you can’t trust one another. Y’all are going to end up getting hurt because your hearts aren’t in it.”

“He looks at me like I’m a monster, Bobby!”

“Well, suck it up buttercup! The boy just got back from hell! There’s no way we can begin to know how that affected him. The best thing for him right now is getting back to normal – whatever the heck that is for you boys.”

Sam just frowns in irritation, even though he thinks Bobby may have a point.

“Anyway, I’ve got a case for you boys if you’re interested.”

“Yeah, that’d be about as normal as it gets for us. What d’ya got?”

“There’s a case in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. There have been several children and adults killed. No witnesses. No clues.”

“How is that something that we need to look into? Could just be a serial killer and the local cops should be able to handle that.

“Here’s the sick part. When the bodies are found they are mostly eaten. All that’s left is bones and a little bit of meat.”

“Oh. Okay, that IS something we need to look into. I’ll go get Dean.”

Sam heads outside to tell Dean about the case. He’s not even sure Dean will be willing to hunt with him at this point, but he has to try. He misses the way it used to be between them back when he knew Dean would have his back, no matter what.

“Hey, Dean. Bobby has a case for us in Arkansas.”

“You go ahead, Sam. I’m sure you and your demon girlfriend can handle it without me.”

“C’mon man. Don’t be that way. Let’s just work the case with no mention of Ruby. Surely we can do that.”

“Be what way? Angry that you’ve been using your psychic powers? Or angry that you hooked up with a dang demon!?”

Sam just turns and walks away. If he stays he knows things will be said that may never be forgiven. He tries to keep in mind what Dean must be feeling after having Ruby sprung on him as soon as he got back topside. It’s bound to be confusing and frustrating to return to something like that when he was expecting a joyful reunion with his brother. Sam stops. He scuffs his foot against the ground. He doesn’t turn around because he doesn’t want to see the look of disgust on Dean’s face.

“Look, Dean, I’m going to go pack and I really hope you’ll go with me. Things will never get any better between us if you continue to avoid me.”

Sam finishes his trek into the house and starts packing his bags. He decides he needs to pack a separate weapons bag since he won’t have the Impala’s arsenal. Meanwhile, Dean is busy throwing tools back in the toolbox angrily. He knows Sam is keeping something big from him and he’s so disappointed in his choices that he can hardly stand to be around him. He finally decides that the best way to find out what Sam is up to is the stick close to him. He finishes cleaning up and then heads into the house.

“Alright, Sam. I’ll go with you, but just realize, this doesn’t make everything okay between us. I’m still ticked off about the powers and Ruby. I know you’re hiding something from me and my trust levels are pretty much at rock bottom.”

Sam can’t help the hurt that floods him, but he just quietly says, “Yeah. Okay. Alright, Dean.”

As Dean is packing his bag he decides to keep the demon blade on him. Ruby seems to have too much influence on Sam right now so if Dean gets the chance he plans on using the blade on Ruby without a second thought. It’s something that should have been done long ago.

The drive to Eureka Springs is nearly 10 hours long. The first hour is nothing but tense silence. Sam tries to talk to Dean but he just cranks up the radio as “Ramble On” blasts through the speakers. It’s very obvious he’s not in the mood to clear the air. Sam decides to catch a quick power nap. Anything to escape the atmosphere in the car. Almost three hours into the trip they have to stop for gas. Dean is feeling the effects of a restless night so he asks Sam to drive while he catches a nap. It didn’t take long for the nightmares to begin.

Wailing. The creak of millions of chains. The burning pull and tug on my muscles from the hooks that hold me suspended in nothingness. No one to help me. No one to save me. Complete hopelessness. Alone. Where is the one I need most? SAM! SAMMY!

Sam nearly runs the Impala into the ditch when Dean yells out his name. The jerk and squeal of tires shake Dean loose from his nightmare. 

“What the heck, Sam?!”

“Sorry, Dean, but you scared the crap out of me when you yelled my name!”

“What? I yelled your name? I must have been dreaming again.”

“Yeah, I’d say it was more of a nightmare than a dream. The sound of emptiness in your voice was scary man.”

Dean thinks of how alone and scared he felt when he was on the chains and yelling for Sam. As those feelings once again wash over him he decides to quit being so hard on Sam before he pushes him even farther away. Although he still plans on getting to the bottom of what was going on. He decides to go ahead and change the subject. “How close are we?”

“We’re just about 15 minutes out. I’m starving. Want to find a place to eat before we find a motel?”

“Yeah, a burger and a brew sounds pretty good.”

Legends Bar and Grill seems like the perfect spot to start. Biker oriented and very friendly. Sam has his free WIFI and Dean has pool tables. After they finish eating they each do what they are best at. Sam does some research on the deaths in town and Dean hustles pool while flirting with the waitresses. As he is playing, he strikes up conversation with some of the locals and tries to see what he can find out from them. Several of the men at the pool tables start telling Dean that there are some really strange things going on in town. Not just the murders, but also weird “encounters” – encounters with people from the past or with hidden fears.

Dean heads back over to the table to talk to Sam about what he’s heard. They decide to find a motel and plan what they’re going to do the next day. They find a vacancy at Sherwood Court which is very convenient since they’re individual cottages that are in a wooded hollow. They end up in Trail’s End Cottage which is the last one in the row and more secluded than the others. It’s one of the nicer motels they’ve stayed at with queen size beds and an outside patio with a firepit.

It has been awhile since Sam has met up with Ruby and he’s starting to get antsy. While Dean is in the shower, Sam sends a text to Ruby wanting to meet up with her so he can get a “fix”. He waits impatiently for a reply that doesn’t come. He decides to turn his phone to vibrate in case she texts back while Dean is around.

When Dean comes out of the bathroom he decides that he’s not ready for sleep yet. He wants to avoid more nightmares as long as he possibly can. He notices that Sam is still walking on eggshells around him and decides it’s time for a heart-to-heart.

“Hey, Sammy, can we talk?”

“Uh, sure Dean. What about?”

“Look, I know I’ve been a jerk and have been really hard on you about using your psychic powers. I get that all you’re wanting to do is help people. I’m just afraid that if you continue tapping into the demon blood that you’re going to go off the deep end on a power trip or something. And I don’t want the angels to get it in their heads to do anything to you.”

Relieved that Dean is ready to talk about it calmly Sam replies, “I know you’re used to taking care of me, Dean, but you’ve got to let me grow up. Sometimes I may make mistakes and I’ll have to suffer the consequences from those mistakes, but they’ll be MY mistakes. That’s what makes us into the men we are.”

“I don’t know if I CAN quit trying to take care of you. I’ve done it all my life. But I will try to back off as much as I can.”

“Well, I’ll take what I can get,” Sam says with a laugh. “Let’s hit the sack.”

“Ok,” Dean says while he’s hoping he has a night without dreaming.

Both boys are in a dead sleep when Sam is jerked awake by the vibration of the phone under his pillow. He quickly looks over at Dean who seems to be sleeping peacefully for once. When Sam checks his phone he sees the Ruby finally texted him back. She’s asking where he’s at so she can come to him. He texts her the address of the motel and arranges a meeting for the next night. As he lays back down he is flooded with guilt for making these kind of plans knowing how it will affect Dean if he finds out. But it’s not enough guilt to conquer the craving and need he has for the blood.

The next morning Sam is woke by Dean’s loud and cheerful, “Rise and shine, Sammy!” He looks at him in puzzlement because it’s been a long time since Dean has been this upbeat. Sam doesn’t know whether to be happy or concerned.

“Uh, Dean, did you win the lottery or something?” Sam asks sleepily.

“Don’t I wish! I just had a good night’s sleep and I remember seeing a bakery on the way in. I’m going to run and get some donuts while you’re working on what we’re going to do today. Maybe they’ll have some cherry pie. Be back in a few.”

Dean heads to the Cravings Bakery and Catering to pick up their breakfast. While he’s gone Sam hacks into the coroner reports for the victims of whatever they were hunting. Oddly, even though the bones showed gnaw marks and there was meat left on the bones, forensics couldn’t find any kind of DNA from the attacker. The bodies were all found in the woods but each was in a different location. The only woods that the remains hadn’t been found in so far was the woods around the area of their motel. It seems like they picked the perfect place to stay. Their creature may just come right to them.

Sam hears the Impala pull up in front of the cottage. He heads over to open the door about the time that Dean starts kicking it because his hands are full. When Sam opens the door he’s faced with a huge smile on Dean’s face. In his hands he has 2 boxes and a bag.

“Hey Sammy! I struck it rich! I got a dozen chocolate glazed donuts and a whole cherry pie!”

“Uh, Dean…”

“Don’t worry Sammy boy! I got you two ham, swiss, lettuce, tomato on croissant sandwiches. I know you don’t like all that sugar.”

“Thanks,” Sam says as he’s thinking that big brother is always trying his best to take care of him.

Dean takes a huge bite of donut and while still chewing asks, “So were you able to find anything more on the case?”

“A little. They’ve not been able to find any DNA from the attacker and the woods around our motel is the only set of woods that hasn’t had any remains found.”

“That might make our job a little easier. I mean, I hope we can catch this thing before there is another victim, but, if not, maybe we can catch it in the act.”

“I’d rather not find it eating another child, Dean. Let’s go talk to the sheriff and see what else we can find out.”

“Yeah, alright. So far we don’t have anything to go on as far as finding out what this creature is.”

Unfortunately, they don’t find out any new information from the sheriff so they get the addresses of the victims. Maybe they can get some insight from the families. Now it’s a matter of deciding who visits the parents of the kid victims and who visits the spouses of the adult victims.

“Ok, Dean. I’ll take…”

“Uh-uh man!” Dean makes a fist and places it on his other palm. “Winner chooses.”

“You know I’ll win, Dean. I always do!” Sam smirks.

“C’mon! Let’s do this!” Fists smack palms three times – both Sam and Dean come up with rock. Three more times – both come up with paper. Three more times – Dean comes up with scissors and Sam comes up with rock.

“Son of a …!”

“So, as I was saying, I’ll take the kids’ parents and you take the spouses.”

“Man, you suck!”


	2. Chapter 2

As Sam visits the families of the children killed he notices that their stories are almost the same. The child was going through a time of rebellion, but also seemed to become very afraid of the dark. They weren’t sleeping well, but wanted lights left on. Each child disappeared on a night when the parents had turned the lights off after the child had fallen asleep.

Dean doesn’t find as much similar in the adults. The only thing that he could figure is that each victim had become very paranoid and, weirdly enough, each one had recently developed a wart just behind their left ear. 

Dean is walking back through town and sees the sign on the front of the Balcony Restaurant and Bar saying “Eureka Springs Best Burger” and “Live Music!” so he shoots off a text to Sam to meet him there. He almost immediately gets a text back saying “Be there in 15.” Dean heads on in to get them a table and orders burgers, fries, and beer from the tap for both of them while he waits. He’s sitting there enjoying the band of the night, Louden Swain, and exchanging flirty glances with the chick at the next table. Sam arrives just as the food does. Both boys skipped lunch so they dive right into their food without much conversation. Just as they’re finishing up, the girl at the next table gets up the courage to come and talk to Dean who is more than willing to be distracted from discussing the case. He tells Sammy to not wait up for him with a wink as he heads off with his impromptu date. Sam doesn’t argue since it makes his meeting with Ruby much easier to accomplish.

Sam heads back to the motel with anticipation of his visit with Ruby. At this point, he’s not sure what he’s looking forward to the most, the blood or the possibility of hot, steamy sex they usually have. As he’s daydreaming about both, he gets a text from her asking if it’s all clear. He gives her the ok and she’s knocking on the door a minute later. As he lets her in she tells him that she only has a few minutes because she’s being watched. She quickly cuts her arm and Sam brings it to his mouth to get as much as he can. She pulls away before he’s ready and tells him she’ll get back to him in a few days. 

Since Dean told Sam to not wait up, Sam decides to go ahead and turn in. He stretches out on the bed and laments the fact that, queen size or not, his feet still hang off the bed. It’s not long, though, before soft snores fill the dark room. In the darkness, there is movement at the foot of Sam’s bed. A dark, long clawed hand slowly comes from under the bed and gently wraps around Sam’s ankle.

I know I’m not supposed to be up and I’m definitely not supposed to be watching “It”. I’m only 6 after all. But Dad’s gone, again, and Dean is sleeping. Surely it’s not that scary. I was wrong. I wake Dean up as I’m climbing into his bed, crying. I tell him what I did and he’s fussing at me even as he’s comforting me. That night I have the first of many, many nightmares about clowns. The wrinkled white face. Bright red hair and nose. Mouth full of razor sharp teeth. And those crazy yellow eyes.

“Sam. Sammy! Wake up! You’re having a nightmare!”

“Dean?”

“Yeah. You ok? What were you dreaming about?

“Clowns. You remember that night I snuck and watched “It” and how I started having nightmares afterwards?”

“Yeah, but you quit having those nightmares a long, long time ago.”

“I know, but that’s the nightmare I was having.”

“Huh. Weird. It’s around 2 a.m. I’m going catch a few hours sleep. You’ll be ok?”

“I’m not 6 anymore, Dean. I’ll be ok. Just go to sleep.”

Dean goes to sleep with a smile on his face thinking of Heather, the girl he had hooked up with that night, and all the things they did. It doesn’t take long though before those sweet dreams morph into something much worse.

My body is regenerating again for who knows how many times. It won’t be long before my skin is being flayed from me again. Before the white hot pain begins. My sanity is long gone. My will to withstand hangs by a thread. That thread breaks after a few strips of skin are once again gone. This time when Alistair whispers in my ear, “Just say you’ll take my place torturing souls and the pain stops,” I yell, “Yes!! I’ll do it! Just stop the pain!” Suddenly I’m off the rack and whole again. The whip that has shredded me thousands upon thousands of times over the last 30 years is in my hand and there’s a new soul on the rack. What little humanity that was left in me crumbles as I raise my arm and that whip whistles it’s way to my victim.

Dean wakes with a groan and finds tears on his face. This time he didn’t wake Sammy with his nightmare, but Dean feels shredded inside from the memories. That’s what makes this so bad – it’s not just nightmares. The things he dreams about – they really happened. He really became that monster and it changed him in ways from which he will never recover. He thinks about a quote he had once read – “Part of the insidiousness of hell is that if you escape physically, whether as human or as demon, you house it inside you, perhaps forever.” So far he finds this to be all too true.

Dean gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom to take a shower. The sound of the running water wakes Sam up and he gets up to fix coffee. While it’s brewing, he sets out the remainder of Dean’s donuts and pie and his last croissant. They still need to go over what they learned yesterday since Dean bailed on him last night so they might as well do it over breakfast.

While they eat they share with each other what they found out the day before. None of it really makes any sense. They figure it’s time to call Bobby and see if he has any knowledge of the type of creature they may be dealing with. 

“Hey Bobby. It’s Sam. I have you on speakerphone and Dean is here too. We’re kinda stumped on this one and we wondered if you could do some digging in your books.”

“Well, what information do you have?”

They fill Bobby in on what they’ve learned which really isn’t a lot. He tells them that he’ll see what he can find but it doesn’t sound like anything he has come up against. As they settle in to wait for Bobby to call them back Sam notices that Dean is once again quiet and subdued.

“Dean, what’s up?”

“What do you mean?”

“Yesterday you were in such a good mood. You hooked up with a hot chick last night. But this morning you’re like a whipped puppy.”

At the word “whipped” Dean’s head shoots up. Sam is taken aback at the bottomless depths of despair he sees in Dean’s eyes. As he watches, he sees tears welling in his eyes. He immediately moves to sit beside him and places his hand on his shoulder.

“Dude, what is it? Please let me help you!”

Dean can stand it no more. He tells Sam about the time difference – that in hell, 40 years had passed. He tells him about the rack and Alistair’s repeated torture. He talks about how his body is completely shredded, multiple times a day, because at the end of each torture session his body regenerated. He tells him about the condition for his torture to stop. Tears run down his face. Sam looks shell shocked. And then Dean drops the bomb. He tells him how, after 30 years of resistance, he gave in to the condition and climbed down off the rack and started torturing souls.

“I enjoyed it, Sam. They took me off the rack and I tortured souls and I liked it. All those years; all that pain. Finally getting to deal some out myself. I didn’t care who they put in front of me, because that pain I felt, it just slipped away. No matter how many people I save, I can’t change that. I can’t fill this hole. Not ever.” 

Deeply ashamed and weeping by this point, Dean starts to turn away from Sam. He always knew he had issues – problems with his militant dad, losing his mom at such a young age, pretty much raising his brother, the booze and the women – he knows he was broken, but now he feels like Humpty Dumpty who can’t be put back together again. Sam just grabs him and wraps him in a tight hug. Without asking, he knows this is what Dean has been having nightmares about. He knows that this is where the new hardness has come from. He also knows this is why Dean feels he needs to be in control of everything. Because, in hell, he had none. After a few minutes, Dean starts to pull himself together.

“Ok, enough of this chick flick moment. Besides, I can’t breathe with all this princess hair and pimples in my face.” 

Sam let’s Dean pull away. He knows his big brother well enough to know that he hates displays of emotion and is embarrassed. 

“Pimples!?” I haven’t had pimples in years, Dean!”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Sammy, but your streak is broke,” Dean laughs at him.

Sam jumps up to head to a mirror to check out what Dean is talking about, grumbling all the way. “It’s not pimples. Probably just an ingrown hair.” Dean is still laughing. He loves picking on his little brother. “Shut up, Dean.”

“Whatever dude. I’m going to watch the idiot box while we wait for Bobby to get back to us. Toss me a beer and that bag of chips.” 

As the boys wait to hear from Bobby they actual get to spend a somewhat relaxing day. Dean falls asleep watching TV. Sam, being the nerd he is, spends most of his time doing his own research but without an idea of what direction to take with it, he doesn’t get far. As dusk approaches they decide to start up the fire pit and sit on the patio. They sit back and enjoy the peace and quiet while they gaze at the stars. They never notice the shadow watching them from the woods.

When the boys head in to bed, Dean is thinking that, even though he’s still a mental mess, he feels as if some of his burden is lifted since talking to Sam. He actually thinks he may have a peaceful night. Sam’s thoughts aren’t quite as peaceful. He’s glad to know what has been bothering Dean, but he has stray thoughts of “how could he?” Now he feels guilty for thinking that way about his brother as well as for keeping secrets from him. Surely, what he has been doing is no worse than what Dean did, right?

A few hours after lights out, both Sam and Dean are snoring with the occasional snort and mumble. During the darkest part of the night, a clawed hand once again reaches from under Sam’s bed and wraps around his ankle.

I’m all tangled up in sheets and demon, sweat running down my back, coming down from the heated passion. Ruby makes a small cut on her neck and that delicious copper smell draws me like the sweetest nectar. As I’m taking long pulls from her vein I open my eyes and see Dean staring right at me, the look of horror and disgust on his face slicing through my euphoria. He turns away with the word “monster” on his lips. 

Sam jerks awake with his heart about to pound out of his chest and the word “monster” echoing in his head. He knows now he can’t tell Dean. He’d never understand.

After a night of beer and snacks, both boys are ready for a good breakfast. They stop at Rebiejo’s Fresh Eats where Sam gets an egg white omelet and Dean gets stuffed French toast with a side of bacon. The conversation flows easily between them for the first time in months. As they’re headed to the car Sam’s phone rings. He puts it on speaker as he answers.

“Hey Bobby! Did you find anything?”

“You boys ain’t gonna believe this. From everything I can find, it sounds like you’re dealing with the Boogeyman.”

“What?!” they both say while laughing.

“I know. I find it hard to believe too. It was hard to pin down because the lore is so varied depending on what country you’re looking at. It’s been referenced as a hobgoblin in England. In German lore it’s called “The Dark Man”. Most all of the lore says there’s not a specific shape and that he embodies the fears of the person he has targeted. With children, he targets those who are misbehaving. If they continue to misbehave after his first visit, then on his second visit, he takes them and eats them. The only adults he targets are those he visited as a child that are also doing wrong as an adult. There is a way to tell who’s being targeted on adults. After the first visit, the victim will develop what looks like a pimple behind their left ear. After the second visit, it develops into what looks like a wart. The third visit is death.”

“Sam!! Move your hair and let me see that pimple!!”

“Oh, c’mon, Dean. Surely you don’t think…”

“Let me look!! Oh crap!”

“Sam? Dean? What’s going on?”

“Sam, you had that nightmare about clowns the other night and the next day you had that pimple. Today it’s much bigger. Did you have another nightmare last night?”

“Uh, yeah, so?”

“Alright boys, listen up. I found two simple ways to defend against the Boogeyman. One is to take cover under your blankets and the other is to turn on the lights. But to defeat him you have to recite this verse, ‘Im ‘non timere ab re in cubiculum aut monstrum stravi lectulum meum. Non ego sum, nolite timere De Boogeyman, causam novi quad suus in caput’ which is Latin for ‘I’m not afraid of the Thing in my closet, or the monster under my bed. No, I’m not afraid of the Boogeyman, cause I know he’s in my head.’ It’s a simple verse but it has to be said while he’s touching the victim. This traps him and then when you turn on the lights it kills him.”

“That sounds easy enough, right Sammy?”

“You need to memorize the verse, Dean, because you’re going to have to say it quickly. The timing will have to be perfect. If you’re not fast enough, he can leave.”

“Why do I have to memorize it?”

“Because Sam has to be asleep ya idjit! And you have to fake it like you’re trying for an Oscar!”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I didn’t think of that.”

“Bobby, what happens if Dean isn’t fast enough? This will be his third visit.”

“Let’s just say that he’d better be fast enough. Start memorizing, Dean. Call me when it’s all over.”

With Sam helping him, it doesn’t take but about an hour to memorize the verse. He then spends the rest of the afternoon just repeating it over and over trying to get faster each time. By the time he’s gotten about as fast as he is going to get, both he and Sam are ready to pull their hair out.

“Okay, Sam. I can’t take anymore of this. Let’s get out of here for a bit and get something to eat.”

“Alright. Let’s go to the Cat House pub and relax just a bit. If I don’t, I don’t know how easily I’m going to be able to fall asleep tonight.”

“Heh heh. I wonder if this place will live up to it’s name.”

The boys head to the pub. Dean is disappointed that, in this instance, Cat House is NOT what he was hoping for, but at least they have good booze. As much as he wants to keep tossing them back, he limits himself to two drinks so that his reflexes won’t be dulled tonight. Sam, on the other hand, is tossing them back like it’s lemonade. He knows that he’s going to need some help passing out. By the time they head out, Sam needs help walking. Dean is slightly amused because Sam is a funny, yet belligerent drunk.

When they get back to the motel, Sam flops face first into his pillow, already snoring. Dean removes Sam’s shoes and places a trash can by the head of his bed. Then he lies down himself, reciting the verse over and over in his head. He pulls his covers over him so that only his eyes are peeking out, just to be safe. He slows his breathing and pretends to snore. When the room is at its darkest it suddenly seems to get impossibly dark. Dean strains his eyes trying to see anything. His hearing picks up the slightest whisper of sound. Then the shadows around Sam’s bed seem to move and reshape into clawed hands coming up from the foot of his bed. This time there’s not a gentle grasp of the ankle. The shadow makes its way up the bed until it’s at Sam’s head. Dean is watching in anxious anticipation for that first touch. Finally, the shadow’s hand slowly lowers to Sam’s head.

From under the cover Dean bursts out with the verse. It takes less than five seconds. He hopes it was fast enough. He flips on the bedside lamp and there is a screeching scream then a pop as black sludge explodes everywhere. The smell is rancid, like decaying flesh. It’s enough to waken Sam from his drunken stupor. He immediately begins heaving into the trash can.

“We got him Sammy-boy!”

The only response is more heaving.

“While you’re puking your guts out I’m taking a shower and getting this crap off me. We’ve definitely lost our deposit on this room.”

Dean takes a fast shower and then checks on Sam. He has stopped throwing up, for the moment, but now has a raging headache. Unfortunately, they are out of Tylenol. Dean offers to run to a 24-hour gas station to pick some up while Sam cleans up. He tells Sam that he’ll call Bobby while he’s out and let him know what happened.

While Dean is out, Sam takes his shower. When he comes out, he finds Ruby sitting in the room waiting for him. He knows that her blood will get rid of his headache better than any pain killers out there. Besides that, his body is craving it. So when she offers him her neck, he doesn’t think twice. 

Dean is coming up the walk, still on the phone with Bobby, when he happens to get a glimpse through the curtains of Sam with a woman. He’s trying to figure out how he got a girl there so fast. Dean wasn’t gone but maybe 10 minutes tops. Then as the woman drops her head back, he sees that it’s Ruby. Just as his body tenses to burst in the room, Sam lifts his head and Dean sees the blood all over his mouth. It only takes seconds for Dean to realize what he’s seeing. This… this is Sam’s big secret. It’s worse than Dean could ever imagine. Sam catches movement out of the corner of his eye and looks up to see his nightmare as reality. Dean is looking at him in disgust and horror, disappointment and anger. He turns away. As he does Sam swears he sees his mouth form the word “monster.”

With his heart breaking, all Sam can do is whisper, “Dean.”

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism is appreciated, but be nice please.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are also appreciated!


End file.
